By Anietie Esu
The Leader of the former militants in Akwa Ibom State, Chief (General) Nico Martins Sintei has been honoured with the chieftaincy title of 'Ntanta Idua Oron' in Oron Local Government Area.
The award was bestowed on Sintei by the Idua clan during its 2017 Idua Day celebration held on Saturday at Idua Hall, Oron.
Conferring the Chieftaincy title on the repentant militant, the Clan Head of Idua Oron, His Royal Highness, Etinyin Edet Nyong Ekeng said the award was to celebrate Sintei whom he said has made outstanding contributions to the development of Idua people in particular and Oro Nation in general.
Etinyin Ekeng listed Sintei's contributions to include encouragement of many Oro students in their educational pursuit, giving drinking water free of charge to the people, empowerment of the people with speedboats and the construction of Methodist Avenue in Oron as well as making many Oro people to be a beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme of the Federal Government, among others.
He added that the award was in recognition of the humanitarian service of Sintei, an indigene of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, who lives in Oron for over 20 years now, describing him as a pride and inspiration to Idua people in particular and Oro Nation as a whole.
The royal father said: "The thrust of Idua Day is to try as much as possible to recognise the role of Idua people, the role of people living with us; what they're doing, what impact they're trying to create within Idua in particular and Oro generally.
"So, this year, we identified people who are contributing to the development of Idua, Oro, Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria. So we discovered General Nico Martins Sintei to be one of them.Nico has done Idua people and Oro people proud, especially the youth and students and deserves to be honoured.
"I can't tell people what this young man (Nico) has done just by a mere talking, but the truth is that the man has impacted so much on the lives of Idua people. He does his business in water and that business touches my people, Idua people. He buys speedboats for Oro peoples doing water business. The Methodist Avenue was constructed by him.NDDC gave him that contract and instead of him taken it to his State, Bayelsa, he decided to do it in Oron and we are using that road and peoples doing water business are plying that road.
"General Nico is doing quite a lot of things for Oro youths generally.What he has done is that he encouraged many school children to go to school.I also see the retinue of Oro students who go to him for help and he helped.
"To my mind, what he has done which is uppermost in my mind is water. Government is no more giving water. Government does not give water here in Oro. General Nico is the one giving drinking water to Oron people without collecting a kobo.Every person lines up in his house everyday to collect water. Once the water finishes in the tank, he would ordered his boys to pump the water again and let people fetch. And you know, whoever gives water gives life. Nico has given life to very many Oron people.Sometimes when my generator is bad, my children fetch water from his(Nico) house because we live very close.
"Above all, you know General Nico is at the head of Amnesty programme in Oro. Oro people who are benefitting from the Amnesty programme were recruited by him and I understand they take more than Fifty Thousand Naira (N50, 000) a month. So what can a community do to that kind of person than to recognise him and tell him please come, you are a good man.We honour you with the chieftaincy titlte of 'Ntanta Idua'.So that was what spurred the people of Idua to honour him".
Receiving the chieftaincy tittle, Chief (General)Nico Sintei said he was happy to receive the award based on the reasons advanced by Idua people and thanked the people for the honour.
Sintei, who surrendered arms in Akwa Ibom State in 2009 along with his boys, pleaded with the Niger Delta people to be peaceful and be law abiding in order for more meaningful development to be attracted to the oil-rich region.
"We that carried arms before, we have seen one or two things in life and I can't advise anyone to be part of the arms business. Violence does not brings any meaningful development to any place, rather it would only destroyed. The youth should be law abiding and be peaceful", he stated.
His words:" I have been in Oron for the past 22 years now.I grow up here . I am part of Oro Nation and Akwa Ibom State generally.I built a house here.I have properties here. I married from here. I do my business here and eighty per cent of my boys and my workers are from Oro Nation. I am a son of the soil.
"Since I have been in Oro something like this has never happened to any Ijaw man living in Oro Nation.I'm grateful for me to be honoured by the Idua Oron .I'm happy to receive the award. I am not receiving this award because I have money. I never lobbied for it but Idua people found me worthy to be honoured.It is not by my power, but it is by the will of the Almighty God".
The leader of the ex-militants in Akwa Ibom State assured that the award would spurred him to contribute more to the growth of Oro Nation.
On his views about life, he said:"Everything in life is vanity, but the most important thing in life is that no matter where you comes from, no matter where you based, you should do your best in the development of that area. People should be simple and be good. There is nothing like being truthful and be straightforward in life.
"The society you came from is not as important as the society you found yourself and the contributions you made towards the development of such society.
"Therefore, in any society you find yourself, be a human developer and not a human destroyer, because we all came from the same source, 'The Almighty God' and He expects us to leave this world better than we met it".
Chief (General) Nico Martins Sintei receiving the award
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